The construction firm for the Kalahari Resort project requested a temporary change in construction work hours. The request is to allow construction to begin one hour earlier, beginning at 6 a.m., from June 25, 2018, through Nov. 4, 2018, seven days a week. City staff has granted this request with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays, which will remain 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during this timeframe.

The request stems from the construction firm’s goal to increase worker safety and construction quality throughout the concrete foundation/pier work. The earlier start time will afford the craftsmen the opportunity to work less during peak temperatures to help decrease the risk of heat-related illnesses, as well as ensure adequate concrete curing. This is not atypical, and the City has received and granted these types of requests in the past as it relates to concrete work.

In addition, the City expects to receive future requests for temporary construction hour adjustments for this project. Future requests will likely be related to concrete pours and the associated ideal curing temperatures. Both extreme heat and cold can cause issues with concrete curing. Before granting such a request, City staff will take into account these practical construction issues as well as strive to reduce the duration of any noise disturbance to the surrounding neighborhoods. This is the largest project under construction in the City in many years and an enormous amount of concrete is necessary to build it. As such, off-hour concrete pours are typically a necessary component of a large construction project.

We will keep the public abreast of any changes to the work hours for this project as that information becomes available.

We thank the public in advance for your patience and understanding during the construction phase of this project.

We’ve been to dozens of groundbreakings in Round Rock over the years, but none like the one for Kalahari Resorts last week. The big tents, the amazing food, the large video backdrop on the stage and the laid-back delivery of owner Todd Nelson showcased Kalahari’s one-of-a-kind hospitality expertise.

The groundbreaking highlighted the fact we’ve never had a business like this in Round Rock before. Sure, we’ve got a couple dozen terrific hotels and motels, but not a full-blown resort and convention center that will feature the world’s largest indoor water park.

Let that sink in. There will be no indoor water park on the planet larger than the one now under construction in Round Rock. Nelson said it will be the sixth time Kalahari has built the world’s largest indoor water park.

Nelson also showed images from Kalahari’s other convention centers. He also announced that as part of the groundbreaking, Kalahari was signing three contracts for the 200,000-square-foot Round Rock convention center, one of which booked 14,000 room nights over six years.

So we’re officially in the convention business, in a big way. The convention center will greatly expand our tourism efforts, beyond the already successful Sports Capital of Texas program.

And then there’s the fun stuff. Nelson described and showed images of what’s in store at Tom Foolery’s – an 80,000-square-foot indoor adventure park that will include thrill rides, ropes course, climbing walls, an indoor zip line, bowling, laser tag and mini golf.

Kalahari provides fun for the entire family, from seniors to toddlers, Nelson said. The family experience is a big element of what they’re selling, and that’s how their other resorts each draw an estimated 1 million visitors a year.

Those guests will work up an appetite at the amazing array of amenities beyond the aforementioned 223,000-square-foot water park and indoor play spaces.

The groundbreaking featured food from the themed restaurants Kalahari will offer in Round Rock – the Double Cut Charcoal Grill, Kalahari’s signature steakhouse experience, Mondo Sortino’s, which includes an Italian kitchen, pizzeria and gelato shop, and 5 Niño’s Tex Mex restaurant. Guests noshed in the shade under huge white tents at what felt more like a wedding reception in the Hamptons. (It should be noted here that Kalahari picked up the tab for this event.)

For people looking for a little pampering, there will be the Spa Kalahari and Salon. Alas, no pedicures or massages were made available at the ground breaking.

The great news for local folks is that all the amenities and restaurants will be open for people who aren’t staying at the hotel.

“When we design our resorts, we stay focused on adding amenities that everyone can experience and enjoy – not only our overnight guests,” Nelson said.

We got a taste of it all at the groundbreaking. We’re looking forward to the grand opening in late 2020 when everyone can savor all Kalahari has to offer.

Based on its design needs and input from the public at a pair of open house meetings in May, Kalahari has produced an updated Site Plan. Revisions to the Site Plan were discussed at a Feb. 5 meeting with homeowner’s association representatives from Sonoma and Forest Ridge, Kalahari officials and City of Round Rock staff. Representatives from all adjacent neighborhoods were invited.

One of the most significant changes from the list of potential uses shown in May is there is no longer a request for a larger amphitheater/outdoor music venue. There is a request for small outdoor event areas where amplified music would be allowed.

Compared to the draft shown at the open house meetings last May, the buildings have shifted somewhat on the site, as though rotated clockwise. That was done in order to accommodate changes to the intersection at U.S. 79 and Harrell Parkway required by Union Pacific Railroad, as well as to save some of the big oak and pecan trees on the site, and other resort design considerations. The shift puts the indoor/outdoor waterpark closer to the neighborhoods, while the truck loading dock at the Convention Center is a little farther away from the neighborhoods (see site maps below).

The tallest buildings in the project will be farther away from the neighborhoods. The maximum requested building height is 180 feet, and that is only allowed for buildings at least 750 feet away from the southern property line. This represents a larger setback than would be required by standard zoning requirements. In the C-1a zoning district, a 180-foot tall building would be set back about 210 feet. Buildings less than 750 feet away from the southern property line can be a maximum of 75 feet tall; however, no buildings may be located in the floodplain. The existing PUD zoning at the site allows buildings 15 stories tall, which could permit structures exceeding 200 feet in height.

There remains no direct connection from the resort property to the Brushy Creek Trail. Guests could still access the trail from the sidewalk that exists today along Kenney Fort Boulevard.

As for the traffic plan, City staff are comfortable the planned intersection and street network improvements will be adequate to handle traffic flows to and around the site.

A pair of detention ponds have been added to the Site Plan, along the southern boundary of the project. The ponds are designed to control runoff from the project into Brushy Creek in order to mitigate impacts to upstream and downstream properties.

Once the public hearing is held by the Planning and Zoning Commission and a vote is taken, a public hearing and final vote will then occur at a future City Council meeting. We will reach out to nearby neighborhoods and inform residents of future meetings once they are scheduled.

Attendees were able to ask questions and offer comments to City planners, transportation staff, public safety officials and Assistant City Manager Brooks Bennett, as well as Bill Otto, Executive Vice President, and Steve Pine, Director of Development, for Kalahari. Members of the Round Rock City Council attended as well.

A lot of the concerns we heard dealt with traffic and impact to property values. The most important feedback we were looking for dealt with the various uses Kalahari has proposed for the project. That’s goes to the heart of the zoning change that will be considered later this summer by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

Here are the written comments we received about potential future land uses:

Concerned about petting zoo in Phase 2 and height of potential high tech golfing range.

I don’t want to see, hear or smell this from my home.

No golf driving range

No theme park

No petting zoo

No aquarium

High level of concern over amplified noise from “small venue amphitheater/outdoor music

One thing Kalahari’s Bill Otto told the many residents who sat down to talk to him at the meetings is that Kalahari is a family resort, and many of the concerns — noise, lighting — are issues they focus on for the comfort and enjoyment of their guests.

The City Council took another step forward to bringing the Kalahari Resorts project to Round Rock when it approved a series of 10 agreements on Thursday, Dec. 15. Click here to watch the presentation to the City Council about the agreements, which includes comments from Kalahari owner Todd Nelson.

There are more than 1,000 pages total in those agreements, so we thought we’d break it down to a handful of highlights.

Kalahari will invest at least $350 million and employ a minimum of 700 for the resort, convention center and indoor-outdoor water park.

While the City is purchasing and will own the 351 acres across U.S. 79 from the Dell Diamond and Old Settlers Park where Kalahari will be built, it will be repaid the approximately $27.5 million purchase price in two lease payments: the first $17 million lease payment will be made before the property closes on Dec. 20, and the second payment will be for $10.5 million, plus interest, in eight years.

Thanks to great work by State Rep. Larry Gonzales, the City is able to utilize a state law designed to encourage these types of tourism-generating developments to leverage State tax revenues as part of the deal. That means the State hotel occupancy tax, sales tax and mixed beverage tax generated by the resort will stay right here in Round Rock to help pay for the project’s public debt and revenue sharing.

Specifically not included in the agreements are the City’s half-cent sales tax for property tax reduction, half-cent sales tax for economic development and roads, and 2-percent hotel occupancy venue tax. The City will retain 100 percent of those revenues generated by the project.

A lot of the news media coverage and some of the social media comments about the Kalahari Resortsannouncement June 15 focused on the indoor/outdoor water park that’s a major element of the project. We understand why, but the project is so much more than that.

Here’s why: As currently proposed, the 1,000-room hotel and 150,000 square foot convention center would be the second largest in Central Texas.

That’s why we characterize this proposal as a game-changer for Round Rock. It puts us in the hospitality and conference business in a big way. By way of comparison, the Marriott in La Frontera has 12,900 square feet of meeting space. The United Heritage Center at Dell Diamond has 5,400 square feet. They’re both great spots for a meeting, but nowhere close to the scale Kalahari is planning.

Kalahari is unlike any hotel/convention property in Central Texas. It’s a family resort destination that will draw approximately 1 million visitors annually. That’s 1 million folks coming to town, having a great family vacation or unique conference/convention experience, spending their dollars here and then heading back home. The project will generate millions of dollars a year in local and state government revenue. We can’t estimate just how much yet, because there aren’t enough details worked out in the development proposal.

A minimum of $250 million invested in property and capital, along with at least 700 jobs, is why we are negotiating an incentive package with Kalahari. We are working on a deal that will benefit both sides. The memorandum of understanding approved June 23 by the City Council lays out some of the parameters of the still-being-negotiated agreement. (In case you’re wondering what an MOU is, visit this FAQ.)

Here are 5 key points of the MOU:

The City intends to loan Kalahari $11 million to purchase 155 acres of the 350 acres or so it has under contract. The loan will be in the form of a real estate lien note, with a reasonable rate of interest, secured by a first lien deed of trust. So what’s a real estate lien note and first lien deed of trust? Real estate lien note means the City will hold the land as collateral on the loan, which we anticipate funding from City cash reserves. First lien deed of trust means that any private financing Kalahari gets for project will be “second in line” as collateral on the 155 acres.

The City plans to borrow money for the Convention Center and related infrastructure. The City would own the Convention Center until it is paid off. This will allow us to take advantage of favorable financing options (see point 5 below). We anticipate Convention Center debt will be backed by local hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds and Type B sales tax funds. However, we plan to make the actual debt payments from the tax revenues generated from the project.

The City intends to issue debt, likely Certificates of Obligation (COs), to pay for road improvements and other public infrastructure necessary to the project. COs are backed by property taxes, but, again, we plan to make the actual debt payments from the tax revenues generated by the project.

The MOU lays out the types of revenue the City intends to share on the project. They include the local 7 percent HOT tax, 1 percent general local sales tax, local mixed beverage tax, City property tax and any eligible state taxes. What’s not included is the 2 percent local venue tax that helps pay for the Round Rock Sports Center; the half-cent sales tax that reduces property taxes and the half-cent Type B sales tax that pays for transportation improvements and economic development activities.

We plan to use a recently-amended state law that allows the City to use state hotel occupancy tax revenue and state sales tax revenue to pay for a number of eligible uses related to the hotel and convention center. The key to the law is the City has to own the Convention Center. Using local HOT funds and local sales tax funds are the norm for major projects like this one. Leveraging the state’s 6 percent HOT tax and the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax is, ahem, a B-I-G part of this proposal.

What do expansive meeting space, splashing good times, world class accommodations and the City of Round Rock have in common? Plenty, thanks to today’s announcement by Kalahari Resorts that they’ve officially selected our community as the location for their next big project!

A family-owned business, Kalahari is dedicated to providing guests with what they refer to as a “beyond expectations” experience. This morning, we were transported to that reality via the announcement event that took place at Centennial Plaza right here in Round Rock.

Todd Nelson, owner of the family of resorts, spoke about his organization’s commitment to guest experience, their employees and the communities where they operate. It was immediately clear that this isn’t going to be just another project, but instead, a huge win for Round Rock that will bring substantial economic development, jobs and a resort overflowing with a family-friendly atmosphere that you just don’t get everywhere you go.

“Texas gets it; I think the entire state gets it,” Todd Nelson, owner of the Kalahari Resorts group, said. “And Round Rock absolutely gets it – we could not be any happier to be here!”

So what can you expect from the new resort?

Definitely not just another waterpark, Kalahari’s next project is going to be a game-changer! From a convention center designed to accommodate sizable group meetings and other events, to excitement-inducing resort amenities, this place looks like it’s going to be filled to the brim with this-is-so-cool-we-never-want-to-leave-style fun! And while design plans aren’t fully fleshed out yet, video shown at the announcement allowed us to go inside Kalahari’s vision for creating a “world-away” resort that brings business, family and fun together in an unexpected atmosphere centered around connecting with those around you.

Here’s a quick glimpse of one of their resorts currently located in Sandusky, Ohio:

Excited? So are we. In fact: We. Can’t. Wait! But with so much work still to be done, it’s time we get back to it. Stay tuned here for more details about the project!